Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Keneally for her question. Clearly some elements of the New South Wales health system are suffering stress right now, but I say to people in New South Wales and to people in Australia generally that the Australian government has been preparing to support the Australian public health system since the beginning of the pandemic. In February 2020 we began preparing to support the Australian health system. We will continue to develop that program.

Senator Keneally interjecting—

Senator Keneally, I would rather take advice from the New South Wales government and the New South Wales health system than someone who led the Australian Labor Party to one of the worst electoral defeats in New South Wales's history. I will take my advice from those people who are running the health system there now and our health officials here.

We have worked to increase ICU capacity nationally from 2,000 to 7,500 ventilated beds nationwide. We've invested over $30 billion in COVID health measures. We continue to work with the New South Wales government in support of the system. We've invested over $6 billion in direct COVID support to state hospitals. One of the reasons we put in place the private hospital guarantee was to support the public health system to ensure that there was capacity across the country in the case of COVID. We continue to work with the states cooperatively in ensuring the capacity of the public health system.